Man shot in car on Rockford’s west side

ROCKFORD — One man is in the hospital after a midmorning shooting today on Rockford’s west side.

Police responded around 11 a.m. to reports of shots fired in the 800 block of Royal Avenue near Andrews Park.

Sgt. Dennis Oblinger said a man had gotten into his burgundy-colored car parked on Royal as a dark-colored Chevrolet vehicle with about three occupants pulled alongside. The victim may have begun to pull away from the curb.

“One person exited the suspect vehicle and apparently fired shots at the lone individual in the second vehicle,” Oblinger said.

The victim was shot in the shoulder. In total, three to five shots were fired. Shell casings and other evidence was collected by a crime scene analyst.

The assailants fled the scene. No suspect information was available.

The victim drove himself to the hospital where he is being treated. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Police said it’s too early to tell if today’s shooting is related to any other recent shots fired incidents in Rockford.

“It’s still in the early stages of investigation and they are looking into that now,” Oblinger said.

One neighbor who refused to provide his name said it has been several months since he heard shots fired in his Royal Avenue neighborhood that is normally quiet. He said he is fearful living there and that he doesn’t believe the shooting was by anyone who lives in the neighborhood.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rockford police at 815-987-5824 or Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.